Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Statesmanship & Statesmen • Historical Archive • 🇫🇷 France • 6 views

Jean-Baptiste Colbert 🇫🇷

Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Known as "Contrôleur général des finances")
Contrôleur général des finances, Statesman, Political Leader, Historical Figure
Born 1619-08-29 🇫🇷 Reims, France
Passed Away 1683-09-06 Paris, France
Lifespan 64 years old
6 views
Notice / Correction
"The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing."

Archival Overview

Pioneered industrial state planning and mercantilism, creating the industrial, commercial, and naval infrastructure that financed the Grand Siècle.

Biographical Record

Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State and Controller-General of Finances under King Louis XIV from 1665 until 1683. He developed the economic system of mercantilism (known as 'Colbertism'), built the Royal Navy into a world power, founded the French Academy of Sciences, and sponsored major manufacturing and canal projects.

Pioneered industrial state planning and mercantilism, creating the industrial, commercial, and naval infrastructure that financed the Grand Siècle.

Key Life Milestones

1666-12-22

Founding the Royal Academy of Sciences

Established the Académie des Sciences to place scientific research at the service of national development.

1681-05-15

Opening of the Canal du Midi

Completed the monumental Canal des Deux Mers, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean for trade and strategic defense.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

0 messages recorded

Leave a Respectful Tribute

No tributes recorded yet. Be the first to leave a message in honor of Jean-Baptiste Colbert.

Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Church of Saint-Eustache, Paris, France
Paris, France
GPS: 48.8566, 2.3522
View on Memory Atlas
Archival Standards PastLegacies adheres to strict neutral biographical guidelines and legal standards of remembrance. Next-of-kin may request modifications or removal at any time via our expedited process.